As B.C. celebrates Small Business Week from Oct. 17 to 23, the Better Business Bureau has provided several tips for local businesses to avoid scammers.
Local businesses often offer unique products and services that showcase the creativity of the community members. While this week is a good opportunity to boost the local economy, BBB highlights the importance of educating business owners about three common scams they should be vigilant against.
- Business Email Compromise is a form of fraud that targets companies by impersonating senior management or vendors, tricking employees into transferring money or sharing sensitive data.
- The Directory Listing and Advertising Scam is a method where con artists attempt to extort payments for non-existing advertisements or directory listings. They often use recorded phone calls to pressure business owners for payment.
- Fake Invoices is another technique scammers use, as they generate bogus invoices that appear to be for legitimate products or services, tricking business owners into paying without any verification.
To avoid falling victim to these scams, BBB advises business owners to take several precautions, including creating whitelists for trusted email addresses, implementing two-factor authentication, conducting thorough research on companies that contacted them, training employees to be vigilant, and establishing a process for verifying invoices.
Sharon Poetker, with the Delta-based, Sunshine Hills Community Group on Facebook, also warns that people should be cautious when dealing with buyers and advertisements on the online market. Recently, Poetker encountered four people commenting on one of the market posts, impersonating the person to contact regarding space at the market that Poetker was advertising.
“They indicated they would supply an application. Which probably meant they would ask for a fee too. I worry that the day of the market, vendors will show up saying they’ve paid for a table,” Poetker said.
Small Business Week serves as a reminder for Delta and all other districts’ business owners to stay alert and protect their interests, which can have dire financial and operational consequences. By taking preventive measures, small businesses can continue to thrive.
